Pretending He’s Mine: Love on Cue #2 by Mia Sosa

Mia Sosa returns to the blog today with the second in her Love on Cue series: this story is with people we met in the first story and their decision (decidedly selfish) to pretend to be involved to navigate the pitfalls of a family wedding. Please read on for

Pretending He’s Mine

I’ve decided that you can’t go wrong with a Mia Sosa novel: her stories are wholly expected in terms of happy ever afters, and represent the diversity and joy in romance and love that we find in our lives today. In this story we are given an entrée into the lives of Ashley and Julian, both whom we met in Carter’s story (Acting on Impulse). Julian is Carter’s agent and his best friend, a choice Julian made when Carter’s career was at a turning point and he was desperate to have someone he trusted to watch his back. Ashley is Carter’s younger sister, and always been a bit unfocused, her family calls her flighty, and now in her 4th or 5th job in the past couple of years, she’s had a falling out with her roommate and appears on Julian’s doorstep looking for a place to stay.

Julian has always been intrigued and excited by Ashley, but as his career at the agency relies on his working relationship with Carter, he’s not going to chance a conflict of interest and place both his friendship and career in jeopardy. What he doesn’t realize is that Ashley always had a crush on him, and now she’s thinking that she’ll test the waters for a bit, then move on.

The chemistry between these two is electric, and they are both desperate not to give quarter in the ‘who’s attracted to whom’ battle: from innuendo to open-mouthed stares, Ashley spends much of the early part of their ‘roommate situation’ taunting and teasing Julian. But, he’s giving back as good as he gets – there’s a genuine interest in Ashley – and he hates to see how reluctant she is to go for her dreams of a life in music. He’s going to push, prod and cajole her into action, giving her a solid sense of self as something other than Carter Stone’s sister, and contain his baser instincts where she is concerned.

But the Williamson family reunion is coming up, with a surprise wedding for Carter and Tori to close the weekend’s events, and while Julian is attending the whole thing (by request of Carter’s family), Ashley is planning on only breezing in for the finale, only to leave again. Tired from years of her cousin and aunt’s sniping, she’s not interested in yet another family event without a man by her side to deflect the barbs. Thus – the plan is hatched, and the two are a ‘couple who lives together’ for purposes of the cousin and others who may ask without good intention.

With chemistry off the charts, a ton of laughs and Julian’s tendency to put his foot in his mouth repeatedly where Ashley is concerned, the weekend of forced closeness shows them just how difficult this ‘thing’ between them is to ignore. And with the plunge taken, things are looking to be solidly on a path to happy ever after. And then, Julian’s determination to separate business and personal come up against his feelings for Ashley, his dissatisfaction with the status quo in Hollywood and some discouraging news about his father causes a rift – and Ashley leaves.

Oh he’s got some growing to do – and it’s time that he stops admiring Ashley’s head first dive into something new and different – and perhaps make changes that give him a reason to get up in the morning. If he’s bold enough and can manage to withstand a tequila-fueled pizza party with Eva, Tori and Ashley, and explain his choices to Carter without losing his friend, and hopefully leaving with the girl. Again Sosa has managed to involve concerns, fears and situations that everyone can relate to – mix it with a dash of spice, add in a diverse group of friends and family and come out with a winner. Grab this book – even if you’ve not read the first – you’ll want to have them both read before we get to Eva’s story – coming soon!

Mia Sosa returns with another fun, flirty romance in her critically-acclaimed Love on Cue series!

For Hollywood agent Julian Hart, representing his best friend—megastar Carter Williamson—means it’s nearly impossible to keep his personal life and career separate. To make matters worse, Carter’s younger sister has been starring in Julian’s wildest fantasies more often than he’d care to admit. He knows she’s off-limits, but when Ashley shows up on his doorstep, needing a place to crash… suddenly his greatest temptation is sleeping down the hall.

Free-spirited Ashley Williamson doesn’t do commitment. Jobs, apartments, men… why let herself be tied down? But she’s had a crush on her older brother’s best friend for years and she’s committed to making Julian want her, one towel-clad midnight encounter at a time. But just as things start heating up, their steamy flirtation is interrupted by Carter’s east coast wedding. Ashley has no desire to go home and face her reputation as the family disappointment. But living with—dare she say dating?—a successful, sexy film agent could give them something else to talk about.

Julian can’t believe he agreed to fake a relationship with the one woman he can never have. And it’s going to take more than a little willpower to remember it's all pretend. Or is it?

A copy of this title was provided via Publisher Via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

About Mia Sosa

Mia Sosa is an award-winning contemporary romance writer and 2015 Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® Finalist. Her books have received praise and recognition from Library Journal, The Washington Post, Book Riot, Bustle, The Booklist Reader, and more.

A former First Amendment and media lawyer, Mia practiced for more than a decade before trading her suits for loungewear (okay, okay, they’re sweatpants). Now she strives to write fun and flirty stories about imperfect characters finding their perfect match.

Mia lives in Maryland with her husband, their two daughters, and an adorable puppy that finally sleeps through the night.